


until death do us part

by idgiethreadgoode (nanwashbrad)



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Everybody Lives, Fluff, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Soulmates, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, also gadreel is a good guy, basically a season 9 rewrite
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-15
Updated: 2018-07-15
Packaged: 2019-06-10 18:10:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15297132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nanwashbrad/pseuds/idgiethreadgoode
Summary: The final battle against Metatron has begun, but in order to reach him Sam, Dean, and Cas have to die. While Sam and Dean know their Heavens are right next door, they have no idea where Cas is gonna end up. They’re pretty much stumped until Gabriel comes up with a plan.





	until death do us part

**Author's Note:**

> I posted this a few years ago on my blog (idgielouisethreadgoode-archive) but I'm reposting here bc that blog is no longer active. When I wrote this it was still the first half of season 9, so it was originally Ezekiel who was helping them, not Gadreel. I apologize for the confusion if you've seen this before, but I felt weird reposting this with a character that never technically existed in the show. Other than that it is mostly unedited. Enjoy!

“That is the most ludicrous plan I’ve ever heard.”

“C'mon, Gad, just think-”

“Bonding? That’s your big plan? You want to be Bonded forever to your precious fallen angel and live eternally in Metatron’s heaven while the rest of us rot down here? I don’t think so.”

“It’s the only way to make sure-”

“I said no. We’ll find something else.”

“ _No?_ Since when do you give orders around here? Last time I checked, that was my job. So I’ll just go ahead and dump that in the suggestions box, okay, Angelface?”

A group of people are gathered around the table in the conference room, watching the volley as Dean and Gadreel spit insults and arguments at each other. Sam is rolling his eyes periodically while Garth watches from his place against the wall, carefully considering both sides. Charlie is looking at the two men nervously and biting her nails. Benny sits in the corner, studying maps and occasionally glancing up to shoot an exasperated look at one of the warring men. Gabriel is observing the chaos with a bored expression. Castiel is watching Dean.

“No. Absolutely not. You’ll get yourselves killed and I’ll never be able to return home.”

“I thought getting ourselves killed was kinda the idea?”

“Okay, guys, just calm down for a sec,” Charlie intervenes, putting her hand on Dean’s shoulder. He shrugs her off. He opens his mouth to fire another insult at Gadreel, but the angel cuts him off.

“Don’t tell me to ‘calm down!'” Gadreel brings his fist down on the table, glaring at everyone in the room in turn. “You have no idea … everything I have depends on these … humans. Everything. And they want to throw it all away for what? The power of _love._ ”

“I’ll show you the power of-”

“Okay, enough,” Sam interrupts, stepping between the two men. “Gadreel, I really don’t see why this is such a huge problem for you. It’s the best way to ensure a smooth operation, Dean and Cas are both completely on board, and it seems simple enough. Why-”

“Because we have no idea if it will have the desired effect!” Gadreel strides away from the table, his shoulders tense. “The Brand will alert Metatron, and though he may not understand what we are planning, he will anticipate a strike against him. Aside from that, we have no idea what could happen to the Bond under these circumstances. No one has ever _chosen_ to be Bonded. It could have devastating repercussions.”

Silence follows that statement.

“Maybe there’s something else,” Garth says, “a spell or-”

“No,” Castiel speaks up at last, “This is the only way … Dean and I have discussed it at length and we are prepared to do this. More than that-” Cas pauses, glancing at Dean.  


After a moment’s hesitation, Dean nods.

He continues, “More than that, we want to do this. I know this may be hard to understand, but we have been through hell, and all dimensions besides, and we always end up right back here – at the end of everything, together. We don’t want to be parted again, but were that to happen, it will be comforting to know that we’ll find each other again. I hope you understand what that means to us.”

Dean moves to Cas, reaching to take his hand. Nothing more needs to be said.

Benny gets up, stretching and tossing the maps on the table. “Well, that’s settled. Let’s go, Gadreel, Gabe.”

Gadreel stares at Benny. “What?”

“We’re gonna go find ourselves a cupid,” Benny grabs his coat, “Charlie, I expect you to have the lovebirds all prettied up when we get back.”

“What do you mean 'all prettied up’?” Dean asks, glaring at Benny and unconsciously pulling Cas closer to him, as though to protect him.

“Yeah,” Gabriel chimes in with a smirk, “Dean is always pretty.”

Several people laugh and the tension slowly eases out of the room. However, it follows a peculiar pattern of collecting around Dean and Castiel.

“Seriously, what the hell is going on?” Dean says, but everyone ignores him, too absorbed in the pre-mission high. Dean huffs in frustration. “Uh, hey,” he taps Charlie, “have I missed something here?”

“Nothing we want you to know,” she replies with an unsettling smile before scurrying off to talk to Garth.

Dean turns and glares at Sam. Charlie will never break – that’s a fact – but making Sam crack, that’s cake.

His brother busies himself with rearranging some books on the table; lore that he’s been perusing ever since Gabriel gave them the idea of having Dean and Cas branded as soulmates. He tries to avoid it, but he can’t help glancing guiltily at Dean every few seconds, each time his expression more torn.

It isn’t until Dean says “Sam,” with just the barest hint of potential fratricide that he breaks.

“Charlie got into her head that, uh, you guys are … getting married.” 

Dean’s jaw drops. Beside him, Cas stiffens in surprise.

“I explained to her The Bond isn’t really marriage,” Sam rushes on, “except, actually, it’s exactly like marriage and I might have told her that, and now I guess there’s gonna be a, uh, a wedding.”

“ _A wedding?_ ” he shouts. The room goes still. “You’re freakin’ kidding me. We aren’t getting married. It’s a-a Bonding ceremony.”

“Uh, Dean,” Garth says, “That’s kind of what a wedding is.”

“And it’s about time you made an honest man out of my brother,” Gabriel wiggles his eyebrows at Dean suggestively.

“Okay, well, that’s a little gross, but Garth’s right,” Charlie says, “it’s just like you’re getting married anyway, so why not go for the whole shebang? Marriage licenses – Cas’ll take your last name, 'cause he doesn’t have one - unless you want to be Dean Ex-Angel-of-the-Lord – get it officiated by a minister, and we’ll have the ceremony in the ballroom. I’ve got Gilda working on a cake and Joshua agreed to make some floral arrangements and Jody said she’d-”

“No. No way. Not happening.” Dean attempts to storm out of the room but finds himself blocked by Benny.

“Look, brother, I know it’s not ideal, none of this is, but if any of what Cas said is true – if you two really want this – then maybe you’ll be grateful for the whole song and dance by the end of it.”

Dean looks back to Cas; he’s conversing with Charlie and Garth in hushed tones about bow ties vs ties. He looks somewhere between stricken and intrigued as he listens to her explain the attributes of each and their application in formal wear. Dean relaxes as he watches the fallen angel ask Charlie a question with such honest interest that it might be the most important matter ever to come to his attention.

Dean smiles, crosses over to Cas, and quietly asks him to talk out in the hall.

“All this talk about weddings and I never even asked you what you wanted,” Dean says once they’re out of earshot of the others. “Do you want to marry me, Cas?”

Castiel narrows his eyes, looking Dean up and down. “I don’t know … turn for me.”

Dean laughs. He pulls Cas to him and kisses him lightly. “You are such a jackass.”

“Well, maybe next time you’ll refrain from asking me stupid questions,” Cas smiles, lightly skimming his fingers along the back of Dean’s neck. “Married, or not makes no difference to me. We are Bonding today, Dean. Marriage is a ceremony: a metaphorical joining of hands and souls. What we are doing is literal; we are starting true eternity.” He places his hand on Dean’s chest, directly over his heart. "Whether or not we are legally married matters little in comparison.”

“But what about … husband.” Dean ducks his head slightly, trying to hide the way he smiles around the word.

“I’ll admit, it does appeal to me in a strange way, but I don’t need to call you husband to know that I want nothing more than to spend this life, and everything that comes after, with you. If you feel an aversion to marriage, I’ll respect that. But I am ready to become your husband, if you decide that’s what you want.”

Dean takes a deep breath. “Castiel Winchester,” he kisses Cas’s temple, “Mr. and Mr. Winchester,” he kisses his cheeks, “The Winchesters,” his lips. “Marry me?”

“Yes.”


End file.
